A new video showing the aftermath of an incident in which an elderly Asian man collecting cans in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood and then being assaulted and humiliated has emerged online.
The Instagram video, which was originally shared by @BayAreaFoodz and reposted by Asian entertainment page @Jackfroot, shows men in uniform trying to de-escalate the situation. One man can also be seen pulling trash bags full of cans that the elderly Asian man had collected.
User @jackfroot has since updated the caption to clarify that the uniformed men were not officers of the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), as many had believed, and instead were employees of a full-service armed security company called Critical Intervention Patrol (CIP).
While the private security company is headquartered in Napa Valley, California, it provides services for the Bayview and Hunters Point area of San Francisco.
According to CIP’s mission statement, the organization is “dedicated to integrity, customer service, the rights of individuals who are constantly changing private communities.”
SFPD has commented on the Instagram video, thanking everyone for bringing it to their attention.
“Upon initial glance it does not appear the individuals in uniform represent that of our agency,” the police department wrote. “A caption posted with the video would identify these individuals as security guards for the area.”
SFPD further stated, via @AsiansNeverDie:
“We understand a video has surfaced last night depicting two uniformed individuals. These individuals are part of a fully license armed private company — they are NOT affiliated with SFPD. Our investigators are looking into the video for appropriate follow-up.”
A Bay Area resident and Instagram user, who goes by the name Cheri and has more than 300,000 followers, claims she has sources close to the investigation saying the uniformed men in the video were part of a high-end private security company.
“SFPD has commented, and I’ve also confirmed with sources close to the case, as well as sources in touch with reporters covering this news for the Bay Area,” she commented.
The San Francisco Patrol Special Police, which was mentioned in the comments of the video and has “served the residents and business of San Francisco since 1847,” told NextShark “The officers were NOT SFPD. Shoulder patches were not SFPD. Had to be private security.”
NextShark has reached out to the Critical Intervention Patrol and will update this post once we hear back.
This story has been updated to include a statement from the San Francisco Patrol Special Police, which is authorized in San Francisco’s City Charter but not part of the SFPD.
